Marshal who shot and killed defendant in federal court during trial won't be prosecuted, DOJ says

An unidentified marshal who shot and killed a 25-year-old defendant as he charged the witness stand with a pen in his hand during a federal racketeering trial in Salt Lake City won’t himself face any criminal charge.

The FBI announced Monday that an investigation showed the marshal had fired four shots, all of which struck Siale Maveni Angilau, and that “there is no evidence to suggest Angilau was shot while on the ground.” Hence, the Department of Justice has declined to prosecute the marshal, the FBI said in a statement provided to the the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune.

Family members called the April shooting an unjustified excessive use of force during a rally last month in front of the courthouse, according to the newspapers. Angilau’s family contended that eight shots were fired, four of them while Angilau was on the ground.